Archaeologists believe the tomb belonged to a noble Inca based on the presence of “spondylus,” a type of sea shell always present in the graves of important figures from the Incan period, which lasted from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

Chero said the findings “demonstrate the majesty and importance of this site,” located 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) north of the capital Lima, and 2,000 kilometers from Cusco—capital of the Inca empire which stretched from southern Colombia to central Chile.